Item number: M3

Year: AD 1870-

Material: Gold and Enamel

The results after XRF testing

Size: 113 x 40 mm

Weight: 22.4 g

Provenance: Liverpool Medals 2022

This is the full size order of the Legion of the Honour of France, which belongs to the officer class. The Legion of Honour, instituted in AD 1802 during Napoleon Bonaparte’s first consulship, serves as a merit-based order designed to commend individuals—both military and civilian—for their outstanding service to the nation. Its inception aimed to reinforce the legitimacy of his rule, with conceptual roots traceable to Louis XIV’s establishment of the Order of Saint Louis and the Saint Louis Medal in AD 1693.

The Legion of Honour consists of five hierarchical ranks corresponding to military positions: Knight (chevalier), Officer (officier), Commander (commandeur), Grand Officer (grand officier), and Grand Cross (grand-croix). This particular order is identified as the Officer‘s badge, discernible from the order’s material and the design of the upper clasp (where the ribbon is attached).

The obverse of the order features the portrait of Marianne, the symbolic representation of the Republic, while the reverse showcases intersecting tricolor national flags. The outer ring on the reverse bears the inscription “Honneur et Patrie” (Honour and Fatherland). Surrounding the central emblem is a white-enamelled five-pointed star, incorporating design concepts from the Maltese cross and the insignia of the historical French orders of chivalry. Encircling the star are green enamel laurel leaves and oak leaves, with the top connecting portion of the order forming a coronet composed of the same elements.

Additionally, it is noteworthy that the outer inscription on the obverse reads “Republique Francaise 1870,” thereby serving as a distinctive characteristic indicative of the order’s origin during the Third Republic period.

Louis Napoleon maintained his rule for 18 years, and the Second Empire came to an end with the defeat in the Franco-Prussian War. After the revolution, the establishment of the Third Republic necessitated a reconfiguration of the Legion of Honour insignia to expunge elements associated with the Napoleonic dynasty. Apart from retaining the outer inscription “Honneur et Patrie” on the reverse, the reimagined features encompass a new portrayal of Marianne on the obverse, amended inscriptions, and a redesigned tricolor flag on the reverse of the order, symbolizing a renewed representation of the Republic during the Third Republic era.

“You call these baubles, well, it is with baubles that men are led… I don’t believe that the French people love liberty and equality; the French have not changed in ten years of revolution; they are what the Gauls were, proud and light. They have only one feeling, honor: therefore, one must feed that feeling, they need distinctions… Do you think that you would be able to make men fight by reasoning? Never. That is good only for the scholar in his study. The soldier needs glory, distinctions, rewards.” 

From the above statement, it can be seen that Napoleon had a deep understanding of and valued the importance of decorations for his soldiers. He considered them a crucial means of boosting the morale of his troops. As a result, Napoleon particularly favored having his soldiers and officers carry these decorations at all times. 

Throughout history, the Legion of Honour has rewarded outstanding military and civilian achievements. However, only those awarded military or similar distinctions from the Legion of Honour are entitled to special privileges, such as receiving a national pension. Despite this, the annual subsidy received by recipients is not sufficient to make them wealthy. Those honored with the Legion of Honour must spend a larger amount each year to acquire and maintain the insignia, including regularly paying fees to the Legion of Honour’s management committee. Therefore, the retirement pension alone is not enough to make the recipients wealthy; instead, receiving the Legion of Honour brings prestige only. 

The table at the bottom of the page compares the annual retirement pensions of recipients of the Legion of Honour at various ranks between the early 20th century and the present day. 

物件編號: M3

年代: 公元 1870- 年

材質: 黃金, 琺瑯

XRF分析結果

尺寸: 113 x 40 mm

重量: 22.4 g

來源: 利物浦獎章 2022

此枚為法國的官方版軍官級榮譽軍團勳章。榮譽軍團是拿破崙擔任第一執政時於1802年創設的勳位，頒予對國家有功績的軍人和平民，旨在希望能夠強化自身的統治合法性，其概念構想發源於路易十四在1693年建立的聖路易騎士團和聖路易勳章。 

榮譽軍團成員分為五種勳位級別，對應到五個軍階，分別是騎士級 (chevalier)、軍官級(officer)、指揮官級commander、大軍官級(grand officer)、和大十字級(grand cross) 。此枚勳章為襟綬的軍官級勳章(掛章)，從勳章的材質和帶上的花結可判斷。 

勳章的正面為共和象徵的女神瑪麗安妮(Marianne)的肖像，背面則為交叉的三色國旗，背面的外圈銘文刻有「榮譽與祖國」(Honneur et Patrie)。圍繞勳章中心的是白色分岔的五角星，此種概念吸收了馬爾他十字和法國舊騎士團的勳章設計，周圍環繞的是綠色琺瑯製造的月桂葉和橡樹葉，勳章頂部連接處也是由同樣元素組成的葉冠。

另外值得注意的是，此枚勳章的正面外圈銘文為「Republique Francaise 1870」，這是第三共和國時期版本的勳章的可辨別要素。 

路易· 拿破崙維持了18年的政權和第二帝國隨著普法戰爭的失利宣告結束，經革命後第三共和國成立，在第三共和國時期，為了消除原有的拿破崙王朝的元素，榮譽軍團勳章的設計再度進行更改，除了背面外圈的銘文「榮譽與祖國」被保留以外，其餘元素包含正面的瑪麗安妮肖像、銘文和背面的三色國旗，都是全新的、共和時期的象徵。

拿破崙一世曾說過這麼一段名言: 

「你管這些東西(勳章)叫小玩意兒，嗯，正是有了這些小玩意兒，人們才被引導……我不相信法國人熱愛自由和平等；在十年的革命中，法國人並未改變；他們就像高盧人一樣，驕傲和光榮。他們只有一種感情，那就是榮譽：因此，我們必須滿足這種感情，他們需要榮譽。……你認為你能透過推理讓人們戰鬥嗎？絕不。這只對研究中的學者有好處。士兵需要榮耀、榮譽、獎勵。”」 

從上面這段宣言可以看到，拿破崙十分了解且重視勳章之於他的士兵們的重要性，將其作為一種鼓舞士兵們士氣的重要方式，也因此拿破崙尤其喜愛讓他的士兵和軍官們時刻配帶著這些勳章。 

一直以來，榮譽軍團都獎勵傑出的軍事及民事成就，不過只有軍事或類似身分授予的榮譽軍團勳章才有權享有國家退休金的特殊待遇，不過比起每年得到的補助金，受勳者每年需要花更大量的金額添購徽章，並定期支付費用給榮譽勳位管理會，因此，這筆退休金並不足以使受勳者致富，獲頒榮譽軍團勳章只會帶來聲望。 

下方的表格是過去20世紀初和現代的榮譽軍團勳章各勳位受勳者的年退休金的比較。